Clean Eaters, Can you help me?

joyfulteach

I think I eat pretty clean, but am not really sure. Can you look at my diary and tell me how I'm doing?

Acg67

It depends on your definition of clean.

If you mean mostly whole foods, it's fine. If you mean nothing processed, not so good

sarah6336

I think you are doing well. The only thing that might be negative are possibly processed meats and cheeses. You eat a lot of protein. You may want a more balanced diet.

Scott277

I think its not too bad. Ur overall cals/fat etc are very good, A lot in the morning is the right way to do it.

Only thing I would suggest is not drinking fruit juice its extremely high sugar, have an orange and a glass of water instead.

I say this cause I struggle to do the same thing, love a little glass of fruit juice in the morning haha!

joyfulteach

I thinks that's the problem... I read people say they started eating cleaner and it helped them loose more consistently, but I quess I don't really know their definition of clean either. I am gluten free due to having celiac and don't eat a lot of boxed or packaged foods, but sometimes I fall into the convenience trap of eating pre grilled chicken and stuff.

RedHotRunner

A couple of things I noticed is that you eat some unnecessary processed food. "Steamers", Hillshire farm chicken and cheese slices come to mind. Nothing clean about any of those.

Is there some reason you can't eat fresh veggies and chicken? I usually grill up a bunch of chicken one day a week and use it for salads and wraps during the course of the week. That prepackaged stuff is full of sodium and fillers.

In my mind, clean is fresh food (though I know others have different definitions) and I'm only seeing that in about 30% of your diet.

Your sodium numbers tell the story. If you were eating clean, they wouldn't be that high.

Sorry!

Sarahbara76

SIMPLY PUT- The less ingredients you cannot pronounce the cleaner the food- a perfect diet is unheard of and frustrating nowadays ...best answer I saw online is this-

"When I refer to 'eating clean' - I am referring to eating food prepared using high quality ingredients that is basically free of man-made sugars, hydrogenated fats, trans-fats and other unnecessary ingredients (synthesized preservatives, etc). This does not preclude some desserts, but it does pretty much rule out most packaged, processed foods. It also means I try not eat things that have no nutritional value - white bread for example is on a par with angel food cake for nutrition. All the good stuff has been stripped out and it's just fillers and air. This seems to put me on the same page as others who use the term"

so (some) cheese and milk and sausage and your sweet and sour chicken -if not organic or homemade are processed ..just saying. It's hard to eat clean in this world of on the go convenience foods.. I am not perfect and I certainly have plenty of my own downfalls ..

Amy1N

I have been doing a clean eating cleanse for the past two weeks, and this website has helped me A LOT.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/

Best of luck to you!

NoAdditives

You could add more vegetables (most everyone can). Switch to natural peanut butter with no added sugar of any kind. Find organic versions of foods you already eat. Eating meats that without hormones and antibiotics is extremely important.

taylor5877

I would say replace some of your carbs with fiberous vegetables and fruits (particularly berries).

Everything else looked in line. 30/35/35 PFC is a perfectly fine ratio IMO, but IMO it takes a lot of high fiber veggies and fruits to hit it and get as much of those foods as you should on a healthy balanced diet.

Acg67

SIMPLY PUT- The less ingredients you cannot pronounce the cleaner the food- a perfect diet is unheard of and frustrating nowadays ...best answer I saw online is this-

"When I refer to 'eating clean' - I am referring to eating food prepared using high quality ingredients that is basically free of man-made sugars, hydrogenated fats, trans-fats and other unnecessary ingredients (synthesized preservatives, etc). This does not preclude some desserts, but it does pretty much rule out most packaged, processed foods. It also means I try not eat things that have no nutritional value - white bread for example is on a par with angel food cake for nutrition. All the good stuff has been stripped out and it's just fillers and air. This seems to put me on the same page as others who use the term"

so (some) cheese and milk and sausage and your sweet and sour chicken -if not organic or homemade are processed ..just saying. It's hard to eat clean in this world of on the go convenience foods.. I am not perfect and I certainly have plenty of my own downfalls ..

Don't forget the yucky processed olive oil and bacon

taylor5877

The difference in "clean" comes from the differences in what vegitarian/naturalists and similar dieters worry about and body builder types worrying about how foods affect body fat.

I care less about the former while caring more about how foods affect your overall health more than the later typically.

Just to let you know where I'm coming from.

EccentricDad

Any "juice" is not clean. You are not getting the fiber and the nutrients from any "juice" that is processed. As a matter of fact, they have to add back in the nutrients to convince you that you are eating clean.

The Zeal products don't have an ingredient list but I bet they aren't good for you. Most protein powders and meal replacement foods are overly processed and have hidden added sweeteners to make it tolerable to eat/drink. Cocoa powder, stevia, nutrisweet, splenda, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, wheat starch, hydrogenated oils, salt, sugar, sorbitol, maltodextrin, and a whole bunch of others are often added to "sweeten it up". All these added chemicals do is make your blood sugar spike and insulin levels go up causing weight loss IMPOSSIBLE!

Egg and sausage was good. The turkey sausage is a little processed but as long as it doesn't have the above hidden in it then it's okay.

Cheese is not clean, it's processed. Milk would be the clean version of cheese. I am not a fan of cheese. Cheese's only purpose in a diet is to add flavor but at the sacrifice of saturated fat, putting mold in your body, and they are pretty much empty calories. Again, any nutrition it has is generally added back in. Sour cream, ice cream, and even milk based yogurts all fit in the same category. IMO - cheese is a waste of calories when you could use spices to spice up a dish and that is only at the sacrifice of sodium (which you're drinking enough water to make that sodium not even matter).

"sweet and sour chicken, 2 serving" --- I am not going to analyze this except to say that if you don't have time to cook then a "clean diet" is not going to work for you. A better lunch choice would have been shrimp with 2 cups brocolli and a large apple. Simple, but gives you all the protein, fats, and carbs you need to get through the afternoon.

Olive oil and veggies good choice.
Center cut bacon is questionable since it is going to be high in saturated fats but because your carbs were low for that meal it will work out because after your body is done burning those carbs it will burn the saturated fat next; but the real problem is cholesterol levels and how much oxygen you are giving your blood for when you're exercising. Eating meat higher in unsaturated fats like fish, turkey, and chicken will result in cleaner fats being entered in your blood stream and repairing your organs/muscles after workout.

Chicken, good choice.

Yeah, as far as "clean" eating is concerned, you're not very clean for today; but without preparing your meals in advance, I guess you're doing the best you can.

EDIT: Sodium from a processed food is terrible because it's added to preserve the food; sodium added influentially (and sparingly) is okay, so don't be afraid to buy some spices from the spice section of the supermarket. Just measure how much you use and log it.

The idea of eating clean is: STAY AS CLOSE TO IT'S LIVING VERSION AS POSSIBLE.

Sarahbara76

SIMPLY PUT- The less ingredients you cannot pronounce the cleaner the food- a perfect diet is unheard of and frustrating nowadays ...best answer I saw online is this-

"When I refer to 'eating clean' - I am referring to eating food prepared using high quality ingredients that is basically free of man-made sugars, hydrogenated fats, trans-fats and other unnecessary ingredients (synthesized preservatives, etc). This does not preclude some desserts, but it does pretty much rule out most packaged, processed foods. It also means I try not eat things that have no nutritional value - white bread for example is on a par with angel food cake for nutrition. All the good stuff has been stripped out and it's just fillers and air. This seems to put me on the same page as others who use the term"

so (some) cheese and milk and sausage and your sweet and sour chicken -if not organic or homemade are processed ..just saying. It's hard to eat clean in this world of on the go convenience foods.. I am not perfect and I certainly have plenty of my own downfalls ..

Don't forget the yucky processed olive oil and bacon

ahh yes.. guilty of indulging in those two myself every now and then..

joyfulteach

There is so much I didn't realize about eating clean. I thought Olive oil was a healthy fat, frozen veggies were as good as fresh, and didn't know hard cheeses were considered processed!! :-) Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it!!

taylor5877

LOL...don't avoid olive oil, frozen veggies or cheeses, they are all good foods to have within your macros.

I'm not saying they are always the same, but I would call no sodium added canned, frozen, and fresh veggies *almost* the same, with all being "clean".

You're splitting hairs trying to argue that one is better than the other IMO (you're arguing different degrees of GREAT to have in you diet)...to me they're virtually equal.

tammyj83

Bump. (I'm curious about the concept of clean eating. I'd never heard that phrase until recently.)

EccentricDad

There is so much I didn't realize about eating clean. I thought Olive oil was a healthy fat, frozen veggies were as good as fresh, and didn't know hard cheeses were considered processed!! :-) Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it!!

There's a debate about olive oil. Extra Virgin olive oil is pretty good for you (if you MUST have oils) and so are canola; but all vegetable oils turn into trans fats and that's not good fats to merge with your cells and it will gunk up your blood lines.

Frozen veggies are fine as long as the ONLY ingredient on the label is the veggie. Organic is still the ideal way to go, but if you can't afford the price hike, then do what you can. Organic just means you don't eat pesticide residue and fertilizers.

joyfulteach

Oh and the Sweet and Sour chicken was homemade, so was the chicken salad, stir fry cabbage, broccoli salad, chocolate chip cookies, and everything else like that. I just use the recipe builder and add it as a serving.

PayneAS

taylor5877

hopefully this shows up larger.

joyfulteach

yes much easier to read!!

AGSawatzky

If you are still struggling with the concept of clean eating then I HIGHLY recommend getting Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Recharged book. There is a ton of information, recipes, and even some sample menu plans to follow.

After scanning your diary, I would suggest eating smaller meals more frequently. Make sure you get a protein at every meal/snack, avoid the processed stuff, get in your healthy fats and experiment with different foods.

Hendrix7

The paleo crowd would hate that.

taylor5877

there are some things I rolled my eyes on it too, but if it was posted, I at least wanted to read it.

joyfulteach

Well all these varied responses have definitely given me something to thing about. Thanks ;-) I think...

tammyj83

I have been doing a clean eating cleanse for the past two weeks, and this website has helped me A LOT.

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-eating/

Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the link! I'm going to make the housewarming bread this weekend!

PayneAS

hopefully this shows up larger.

Thanks. The last time I tried to post the larger one it was too big.

The paleo crowd would hate that.

Yep, but thank goodness that eating clean =/= paleo.